Month: November 2007

This may come as a bit of surprise to some of you, but I am not the alabaster goddess I appear to be. Over the past few years, I have had so much trouble with my heels. They are very dry, they crack and can get quite painful. There are many remedies I have tried but haven’t helped me: lotions, butters, oils. I even consulted a dermatologist about it during my yearly skin check-up. (That doctor visit would have to be a whole other post- he was a real peach of a guy- not!) The dermatologist prescribed some expensive cream, and that didn’t work, either. The only thing I haven’t tried is standing on my head while drinking a half empty glass of water. (Oh, right- that’s for hiccups.)
So, I thought I’d ask you all- is there anything you would recommend for extremely dry skin? If it is a change in diet you think I need, you have another think coming I might be willing to try that, too. Fire away!Photo: One sock down, one still to go. That’s the trouble with socks and mittens. Ya think just wearing one will ever come into style?

…penny. Anyone out there had this experience and lived to tell about it?
Please pray that everything comes out alright. This is one time we don’t want our money earning interest. It gives a new meaning to money laundering. These kids should know that they can’t be their own piggy banks. We could sit him next to a cash register and one of those cups marked “Need a penny, take a penny…”
I know, I know. I’m hilarious.
When he realized what he’d done, Noah wailed, “I wanna p**p!”

The last time I saw you was when we were over for dinner a few days before you died. Usually our get-togethers lately involved church planning and had been somewhat chaotic and stressful. It was rare to gather, as a family, and just be. God must have known that was what we all needed this time. We sat down, joined hands, and sang ‘Thank You, Lord’ before eating. It was a peaceful meal- nobody spilled anything, nobody got hurt- and I remember just enjoying our time together. After dinner, there you sat, you and Sam, in that bentwood rocker, reading a Winnie The Pooh book. I watched you both for a time, heads together, looking at the book’s pictures. If I would have known it was my last glimpse of you loving us, I would have come over, wrapped my arms around you both, and read along.

We’ve got the sickies going ’round our house again. Having sick and needy children, not just (the usual) needy children, really pushes me to my limits. I am forced to see how much I still have to learn when it comes to loving them like Jesus loves them. Nancy Campbell writes,“…it says [about Jesus] in John 13:1, “having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” We can start loving someone, but when they become difficult, defiant or refuse to receive love, it is tempting to give up. Natural love easily gives up. It is only agape love that keeps on loving until the end, no matter what.”Read more about agape love in her latest devotional here. While you’re at it, sign up to receive her devotionals via email here.

I’ve said before that the death of someone I know gets me thinking about death, but in all actuality, Luke and I have a discussion about death on a regular basis. You can’t have a vanful of kids without considering all the possibilities, should you or your spouse leave this earth before the kids are grown. We talk about whether we will remarry, and who the lucky stepparent might be, who’ll inherit a bunch of children by saying “I do” (hey, it may be someone we already know!).We often discuss funeral and burial plans, too- are we just weird? I don’t think so, since Barbara was writing about the topic on her blog recently, as well. She wrote last week about the increasing popularity of “green funerals“. A green funeral is one in which the loved one is laid to rest in simpler, more earth friendly ways. Traditional burial practices these days are overly ornate, unnecessarily preservative, and expensive, leading many to opt for the way it was done before embalming and fancy caskets became the norm. ( I realize that embalming is a law in many states, including ours.) Last night, Luke and I were looking at coffins online, and saw some really nice, simple ones. Google “monastic casket” or “kosher funerals” to see examples of what I mean.This is as long as even I can stand to dwell on this subject, so I’ll close here. What do you all think about this stuff? Or do you try not to think about it at all? I’d love to hear.

“…our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21